


Green

by honeydewed



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Rare Pairings, jin x zuko - Freeform, jin/zuko - Freeform, jinko, jinxzuko, rare pair hell, zujin - Freeform, zuko x jin - Freeform, zuko/jin - Freeform, zukoxjin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 01:11:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeydewed/pseuds/honeydewed
Summary: Who would have thought the one person to hold the most power over the exiled Fire Nation prince would be a cheerful girl beguiling green eyes.





	Green

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not affiliated with anyone on the creative team for Avatar The Last Airbender, nor do these characters belong to me.

Flames beneath the kettle swell. Zuko's fingers flex anxiously and hands become fists as his eyes pierce the ceramic object with such a strong intensity he can't even register the shape of it. He can see the color of course, like everything in Ba Sing Se, it's green. Of course it's green. The soft and delicate olive tones, jades, and emeralds all blend together like vines intertwining with one another and catching in a forest. Zuko's jaw clenches as water licks the sides of the teapot and bubble. It's been whistling for at least ten seconds by now but he can hardly hear it. Zuko focuses on the kettle, hands trembling with rage. Flames as hot as lava heat the poor kettle and it continues to whistle for attention. "Nephew," even Iroh's voice can't seem to fully rouse the distracted young man. "Nephew?" 

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Zuko's hands clap against the side of his head as he roars angrily. The flame beneath the kettle increases just for a second, wild and untamed as the kettle vanishes within the flames. "I have to be the biggest idiot in the whole city! Why am I so bad at everything? Why can't I do anything right!" His blood's boiling. The need to cast flames from his palms or feet tempt him and he's close to burning down the whole tea shop.  Reducing it to ash won't fix anything but it will certainly make him feel better. Iroh's hands grasp his nephews and he masterfully diffuses the flames. Luckily for the two of them, no customers have shuffled into the tea shop. Zuko pushes him back as Iroh takes the kettle from its heat source. "This is all because of you! You always mettle! It's all your fault!" Zuko caterwauls prepared to rend everything into smoldering pieces of wood and ash. 

"My nephew," Iroh's first instinct to reassure his nephew that they can have a peaceful life in the Earth Kingdom, even an honest if not good life in Ba Sing Se come to him in a well practiced manner but he slowly starts to think. If Zuko intended to curse the city itself he'd have done so. Instead of that he purposefully blames Iroh and it doesn't take long for Iroh to figure out what's plaguing his hotheaded nephew. "Beautiful young Jin's been mysteriously absent since your date," stroking his beard he thumbs through neatly labeled ingredients. Finding the leaves he'd been looking for Iroh casts a glance to Zuko. Zuko bristles like a wild animal ready to strike. Iroh's certainly struck a nerve. 

Fires consume everything in their path. They're notoriously hungry and take in whatever lies in their wake. Once they're fed they become powerful and stronger until either another force puts them out or there's nothing more to feed them. A certain hunger had been awaken at the brief touch of Jin's soft mouth against his. The soft as silk lips against him felt like flower petals and he kicks himself for attempting to make it sound poetic. She tricked him into kissing her, he reasoned at first but he wanted more. He still wants more. The color green fills his head, the scent of white dragon lilies, and softness of her lips all haunt him. She doesn't know him. She knows Lee a failure of a circus juggler, a hot tempered boy that slams his hands against tables and shouts at people that mistake their relationship, and someone who clearly doesn't like tea nearly as much as she enjoys it. Yet despite that she called him "cute" and kissed him. The possibility of anyone outside his uncle actively seeking his company out or enjoying it sounds like a fantasy. She has to be either a spy for the Dai-Li or is making sport of him. He's hungry. He knows it's something he can't satiate with either noodles or steamed buns. He wants to see her again, not that she'd ever want to see his face especially after he ran away from her. 

Flames itch to be released unto the world and he huffs. Jin's happy face peered in through the door at least one a day for the past two weeks. Sometimes twice a day but since they went on that date she hadn't been in at all. A coldness settled in Zuko's chest the first day, it made him frigid and careless as he kept his eyes on the door and waited for the sight of her impish smile or telltale braids. The second day he started to become worried and misplaced his bad feelings into fear unsure if she could figure out how he managed to light everything at the fountain so quickly and would report him and his uncle to the Earth Kingdom's secret police. The third day a red hot rage churned his stomach and he's been in a bad mood since he woke up. Waking up in a bad mood isn't necessarily uncharacteristic for the exiled prince but he feels especially furious today. 

Zuko frowns his face looks pinched and he settles on the memory of Jin's close face and her lips. It's the only thing that calms him down and returns him to a point that awakens a need to leave the city be and not incinerate it. As often as Zuko claims to be made happy at nothing thinking about Jin makes him feel light as a feather, the Avatar himself couldn't possibly feel as uninhibited and freed as him. Zuko's teeth gnash against each other. The worst of it is, she'd been willing to keep going or if he played his cards right he'd see her smiling face again. He'd been the fool to run away from her. He ran. What sort of idiot runs away from a girl that isn't trying to kill him?

"I hadn't noticed," Zuko lies but the words are quick practically spat out. "I hadn't noticed she hasn't come back. If she doesn't want to come here anymore," Zuko struggles and metaphorically casts his hands into the air as they tighten into fists as his side. "Then I don't care!" 

"Zuko," with the two of them he can say the name of his nephew without fear. "I know you won't tell me what happened on your date but when I first tried to take this city I learned something important of its citizens. They're stubborn and determined, I don't think anything you could do would deter her," Iroh grabs the broom propped up behind the counter and nods towards the door. "It's time for us to open."

The morning passes quickly at first since many people come in for tea before they either head out to the fields or to their own jobs. After that it lulls and eventually ebbs into a trickle so he sweeps the stone floor of the tea house at least twice. Once before they opened, once after the morning rush. His hand clings to a cloth as he polishes tables and washes teacups and rinses out teapots. He keeps himself from slamming the ceramics around and takes great care to handle the olive colored pieces. Anytime he looks at them his brow relaxes and he doesn't scowl nearly as much.The heavy wooden door of Pao's Family Tea House swings open after the lunch rush. Iroh's gone to purchase some steamed buns for him and his nephew to eat and he's stuck organizing the shelves. Focusing on his task he draws a jar from its spot on the shelve to shine it with his sleeve and examine the tea leaves. 

"You know I have a coupon."

A cheerful voice from behind him makes him spin around quickly. Greeted by a pair of merry olive green eyes and a kind smiling face Zuko practically trips over himself. Dark braids sit on her shoulders and she looks at him mischievously and happily. "Jin," he says stupidly as his mouth refuses to form any other words. Retrieving the coupon from her date she holds it up for Zuko to take. He takes it from her hand and starts to ramble, "My uncle. He, he's the one that's actually. He's the one that brews all the tea. I just serve it and he went to get lunch and." His heart's hammering in his chest. He wants to say something poignant or at least stop talking incessantly.

"Lee."

The sound of his alias leaving her is enough to silence him and he nods at her. 

"I wanted," she folds her arms along the counter. A red flush coats her pallid cheeks. Dark eyelashes flutter against her face and he's drawn to to the shape of her mouth as she speaks. "I wanted to apologize. I can get a little pushy and I know I, if you weren't ready I wanted to well to say I'm sorry. So, I-"

"Don't apologize!" Zuko sails from his spot and hands slam atop the counter. Jin jumps at the sudden sound but doesn't look too startled. "There's," he regains his composure. "Nothing," he can't think. He wants to feel her lips again. "I should, be the one saying sorry and apologizing. I should have seen you home." The gentlemanly thing to do was to make sure a girl was safe at home after a date. Even uncle warned him beforehand that he should at least walk her home and he forgot that. "And I shouldn't have run away, so I'm." The once crowned prince of the Fire Nation bowed to an Earth Kingdom refugee, "I'm sorry."

"You could always make it up to me," Jin reasons as a smile overtakes her pretty face. "Another one of those coupons would be a good start," she teases and he feels his knees go weak. Leaning against the counter Zuko watches as Jin tucks her hair behind her ear and then hide her hands within her sleeves. "Or if you'd like, we can go out again. There's another place I'd like to show you," she asks, "Maybe we can meet when your shift's over?" Jin smiles with an intensity he can't understand. It's bright and piercing, unlike the warm flames that coat his fingertips. Hope's a rare commodity in their world and he's dazzled by the light from within. He can't think of anyone looking so happy to see him outside his uncle. She isn't truly smiling for him though, she's smiling for Lee. She's happy to see Lee again. In that instant he finally hates someone more than himself, he hates Lee and he hates how eagerly Jin smiles for him. Zuko's jaw clenches and he nods firmly. "Great, I'll see you then it's a date," with that she walks to the door. 

"Wait." As Jin opens up the door she turns at the sound of his voice. "You," he begins uncertainly. "You didn't use your coupon."

"Don't worry," Jin waves her hand nonchalantly. "I got what I came here for." With that the bell above the door jingles and he's left alone. 

Jin leans against the door with a sigh. her knees finally give and as she clings to the door handle she realizes she did it. "Alright," she clenches her hands into fists and nods firmly as she swallows hard. "I did it," she announces. She asked Lee on a second date. Hopefully, this time he won't be so quick to run off. Her eldest brother had been the one to convince her if he was someone important to continue to pursue him albeit respectfully.

Pushing herself from the door she moves towards the street and realizes she spent so much building her courage she's nearly forgotten to get lunch and picks up the pace. She has a lot of work to finish if she wants to pick up Lee on time!

**Author's Note:**

> That's first chapter I don't know how many more I'll write but I love this pairing and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


End file.
